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A Lament for Egypt

Ezekiel 30:1-26



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A Lament for Egypt

Text:

Ezekiel 30:1-26,

1. The word of the Lord came to me:

2. “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord

says: “‘Wail, “Alas, the day is here!”

3. For the day is near, the day of the Lord is near; it will be a day of

storm clouds, it will be a time of judgment for the nations.

4. A sword will come against Egypt and panic will overtake Ethiopia

when the slain fall in Egypt and they carry away her wealth and

dismantle her foundations.

5. Ethiopia, Put, Lud, all the foreigners, Libya, and the people of the

covenant land will die by the sword along with them.

6. “‘This is what the Lord says: Egypt’s supporters will fall; her

confident pride will crumble. From Migdol to Syene they will die by

the sword within her, declares the sovereign Lord.

7. They will be desolate among desolate lands, and their cities will be

among ruined cities.

8. They will know that I am the Lord when I ignite a fire in Egypt

and all her allies are defeated.

9. On that day messengers will go out from me in ships to frighten

overly confident Ethiopia; panic will overtake them on the day of

Egypt’s doom; for beware—it is coming!

10. “‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: I will put an end to the

hordes of Egypt, by the hand of King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon.

11. He and his people with him, the most terrifying of the nations,

will be brought there to destroy the land. They will draw their

swords against Egypt, and fill the land with corpses.

12. I will dry up the waterways and hand the land over to evil men. I

will make the land and everything in it desolate by the hand of

foreigners. I, the Lord, have spoken!



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13. “‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: I will destroy the idols,

and put an end to the gods of Memphis. There will no longer be a

prince from the land of Egypt; so I will make the land of Egypt

fearful.

14. I will desolate Pathros, I will ignite a fire in Zoan, and I will

execute judgments on Thebes.

15. I will pour out my anger upon Pelusium, the stronghold of

Egypt; I will cut off the hordes of Thebes.

16. I will ignite a fire in Egypt; Syene will writhe in agony, Thebes

will be broken down, and Memphis will face enemies every day.

17. The young men of On and of Pi-beseth will die by the sword; and

the cities will go into captivity.

18. In Tahpanhes the day will be dark when I break the yoke of

Egypt there. Her confident pride will cease within her; a cloud will

cover her, and her daughters will go into captivity.

19. I will execute judgments on Egypt. Then they will know that I

am the Lord.’”

20. In the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh day of the

month, the word of the Lord came to me:

21. “Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

Look, it has not been bandaged for healing or set with a dressing so

that it might become strong enough to grasp a sword.

22. Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am

against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and I will break his arms, the strong

arm and the broken one, and I will make the sword drop from his

hand.

23. I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse

them among foreign countries.

24. I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and I will place

my sword in his hand, but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he

will groan like the fatally wounded before the king of Babylon.

25. I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of

Pharaoh will fall limp. Then they will know that I am the Lord when

I place my sword in the hand of the king of Babylon and he extends

it against the land of Egypt.



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26.

Introduction:

I. This unit, Ezekiel 30:1-26, contains two oracles, one undated but

connected with Ezekiel 29:21 beginning with verse 1 and the other

beginning with verse 20.

II. Coffman outlined Ezekiel 30 as follows:

A. Announcement of the Day of the Lord (verses 1-5).

B. Allies, dependents also destroyed (verses 6-9).

C. Wealth of Egypt to be carried away (verses 10-12).

D. Princes and cities to be destroyed (verses 13-19).

E. God breaks Pharaoh’s arms (verses 20-26).

III. Ezekiel in this chapter laments, grieves over the desolation which

was to befall once glorious Egypt. (See McGee.)

A. The Israelites and Egyptians had, through the y ears, a

relationship which ranged from friendship and allies to enemies.

B. Babylon had consistently been Israel’s enemies.

C. Egypt had been Jerusalem’s last hope of deliverance from

Babylonian captivity, and they did not give their best efforts to this

obligation.



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Commentary:

The Day of the Lord Comes to Egypt

Ezekiel 30:1, The word of the Lord came to me: (NET)

I. The word of the Lord came to me: . . .

A. This statement is repeated many times in the book of Ezekiel.

1. Ezekiel did not want there to be any question about whose

word he was preaching, presenting to his listeners. (See

McGee.)

Ezekiel 30:2, “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the

sovereign Lord says: “‘Wail, “Alas, the day is here!”

I. “Son of man, prophecy and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord

says: . . .

A. Fredenburg and The Pulpit Commentary noted that this oracle

differs from the other Egyptian oracles in that it does not bear a

date; that is, it is not stated when this oracle came to Ezekiel.

II. “‘Wail and say, “Alas for that day!”

A. Ezekiel spoke of the woes that were to befall Egypt and of the

pain and suffering which these woes would bring. (See Smith.)

1. Judgment is coming against Egypt and her allies by way of

the Babylonians under the leadership of Nebuchadnezzar.

(Fredenburg)

B. “Wail” (howl) and “Alas” (woe worth the day) indicate this is a

lament. (Fredenburg)



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1. The repeated use of such expressions as “that day, the day,

the day of the Lord, and a day of clouds,” Fredenburg stated,

speaks to the severity of God’s judgment that is coming on

Egypt.

a. Ezekiel 7:2-4, “You, son of man—this is what the

sovereign Lord says to the land of Israel: An end!

The end is coming on the four corners of the land!

The end is now upon you, and I will release my

anger against you; I will judge you according to

your behavior, I will hold you accountable for all

your abominable practices. My eye will not pity you;

I will not spare you. For I will hold you responsible

for your behavior, and you will suffer the

consequences of your abominable practices. Then

you will know that I am the Lord! (NET)

b. Ezekiel 7:7, 10-12, Doom is coming upon you who

live in the land! The time is coming, the day is near.

There are sounds of tumult, not shouts of joy, on the

mountains. “Look, the day! Look, it is coming!

Doom has gone out! The staff has budded, pride has

blossomed! Violence has grown into a staff that

supports wickedness. Not one of them will be left—

not from their crowd, not from their wealth, not

from their prominence. The time has come; the day

has struck! The customer should not rejoice, nor the

seller mourn; for divine wrath comes against their

whole crowd. (NET)

c. Joel 2:1-2, 11, 13, Blow the trumpet in Zion;

sound the alarm signal on my holy mountain! Let all

the inhabitants of the land shake with fear, for the

day of the Lord is about to come. Indeed, it is near!

It will be a day of dreadful darkness, a day of



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foreboding storm clouds, like blackness spread over

the mountains. It is a huge and powerful army—

there has never been anything like it ever before,

and there will not be anything like it for many

generations to come! The voice of the Lord thunders

as he leads his army. Indeed, his warriors are

innumerable; Surely his command is carried out!

Yes, the day of the Lord is awesome and very

terrifying—who can survive it? Return to the Lord

your God, for he is merciful and compassionate,

slow to anger and boundless in loyal love—often

relenting from calamitous punishment. (NET)

d. Zephaniah 1:7, 14, Be silent before the Lord God,

for the Lord’s day of judgment is almost here. The

Lord has prepared a sacrificial meal; he has ritually

purified his guests. The Lord’s great day of

judgment is almost here; it is approaching very

rapidly! There will be a bitter sound on the Lord’s

day of judgment; at that time warriors will cry out

in battle. (NET)

e. Isaiah 13:6, Wail, for the Lord’s day of judgment

is near; it comes with all the destructive power of the

sovereign Judge. (NET)

2. “These expressions signify that a most dreadful calamity

was about to fall on Egypt and the neighboring countries,

called here the “time of the heathen,” or “of the nations, the

day of calamity,” Clarke wrote.

Ezekiel 30:3, For the day is near, the day of the Lord is near; it will

be a day of storm clouds, it will be a time of judgment for the

nations. (NET)



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I. For the day is near, the day of the Lord is near - . . .

A. Verses 3, 9 and 16 speak of “the day,” “the day of the Lord,”

“that day,” and “the day of clouds.” (Hamilton)

B. This “day of the Lord” which would soon come on Egypt and

her allies would bring unspeakable sorrow on God’s enemies. (See

Smith.)

C. The student of the Bible who reads of this day of the Lord will

be reminded of the final day of the Lord when all will stand before

Almighty God and be judged according to the deeds we have done,

whether good or evil. (See Coffman.)

D. The Bible speaks of “the day of Jehovah” numerous times; for

example, . . . (See Coffman.)

1. Isaiah 13:6-9, Wail, for the Lord’s day of judgment is

near; it comes with all the destructive power of the

sovereign Judge. For this reason all hands hang limp,

every human heart loses its courage. They panic—cramps

and pain seize hold of them like those of a woman who is

straining to give birth. They look at one another in

astonishment; their faces are flushed red. Look, the

Lord’s day of judgment is coming; it is a day of cruelty

and savage, raging anger, destroying the earth and

annihilating its sinners. (NET)

2. Joel 1:15, How awful that day will be! For the day of

the Lord is near; it will come as destruction from the

Divine Destroyer. (NET)

3. Joel 2:1-2, 11, Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the

alarm signal on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants

of the land shake with fear, for the day of the Lord is



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about to come. Indeed, it is near! It will be a day of

dreadful darkness, a day of foreboding storm clouds, like

blackness spread over the mountains. It is a huge and

powerful army—there has never been anything like it

ever before, and there will not be anything like it for

many generations to come! The voice of the Lord

thunders as he leads his army. Indeed, his warriors are

innumerable; Surely his command is carried out! Yes, the

day of the Lord is awesome and very terrifying—who can

survive it? (NET)

4. Joel 3:14, Crowds, great crowds are in the valley of

decision, for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of

decision! (NET)

5. Amos 5:18-20, Woe to those who wish for the day of the

Lord! Why do you want the Lord’s day of judgment to

come? It will bring darkness, not light. Disaster will be

inescapable, as if a man ran from a lion only to meet a

bear, then escaped into a house, leaned his hand against

the wall, and was bitten by a poisonous snake. Don’t you

realize the Lord’s day of judgment will bring darkness,

not light—gloomy blackness, not bright light? (NET)

6. Obadiah 1:15, “For the day of the Lord is approaching

for all the nations! Just as you have done, so it will be

done to you. You will get exactly what your deeds

deserve. (NET)

7. Zephaniah 1: 7, 14, Be silent before the Lord God, for

the Lord’s day of judgment is almost here. The Lord has

prepared a sacrificial meal; he has ritually purified his

guests. The Lord’s great day of judgment is almost here;

it is approaching very rapidly! There will be a bitter



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sound on the Lord’s day of judgment; at that time

warriors will cry out in battle. (NET)

8. Zechariah 14:1, A day of the Lord is about to come

when your possessions will be divided as plunder in your

midst. (NET)

9. 1 Thessalonians 5:2, For you know quite well that the

day of the Lord will come in the same way as a thief in the

night. (NET)

10. 2 Thessalonians 2:2, not to be easily shaken from your

composure or disturbed by any kind of spirit or message

or letter allegedly from us, to the effect that the day of the

Lord is already here. (NET)

11. 2 Peter 3:10, But the day of the Lord will come like a

thief; when it comes, the heavens will disappear with a

horrific noise, and the celestial bodies will melt away in a

blaze, and the earth and every deed done on it will be laid

bare. (NET)

12. 2 Corinthians 5:10, For we must all appear before the

judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be paid

back according to what he has done while in the body,

whether good or evil. (NET)

13. Hebrews 9:27, And just as people are appointed to die

once, and then to face judgment, (NET)

14. Matthew 25:31-46, “When the Son of Man comes in

his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on

his glorious throne. All the nations will be assembled

before him, and he will separate people one from another

like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He



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will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you

who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom

prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I

was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you

gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you

invited me in, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I

was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you

visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord,

when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and

give you something to drink? When did we see you a

stranger and invite you in, or naked and clothe you?

When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And

the king will answer them, ‘I tell you the truth, just as you

did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of

mine, you did it for me.’ “Then he will say to those on his

left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire

that has been prepared for the devil and his angels! For I

was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty

and you gave me nothing to drink. I was a stranger and

you did not receive me as a guest, naked and you did not

clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’

Then they too will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you

hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in

prison, and did not give you whatever you needed?’ Then

he will answer them, ‘I tell you the truth, just as you did

not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for

me.’ And these will depart into eternal punishment, but

the righteous into eternal life.” (NET)

15. The Bible speaks of more than one day of the Lord; for example, the

day Egypt would be invaded by Nebuchadnezzar, the final day of

judgment at the end of the world, et. al.



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E. In scripture, the Pulpit Commentary states, “the day of the

Lord” refers to any day in which divine judgments manifest

themselves in the affairs of mankind.

II. a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations (heathens).

A. A cloudy day was unusual in that area which receives less than

an inch of rain per year, McGee wrote.

1. A cloudy day was ominous, storms, winds, sleet, hail, and

lightning could be destructive, devastating . . . a day of

darkness and trouble.

2. This is a figure of the military storm which the

Babylonians would bring upon Egypt.

3. It would be the time of doom for those nations who had rejoiced in the

misfortune of Israel. (The Pulpit Commentary.)

Ezekiel 30:4, A sword will come against Egypt and panic will

overtake Ethiopia when the slain fall in Egypt and they carry away

her wealth and dismantle her foundations. (NET)

I. A sword will come against Egypt, and anguish (great pain) will come

upon Cush.

A. This Cush (Ethiopia, NKJV) is “the land south of Egypt, also

called Nubia, which includes part of Sudan. Cush began just

beyond Syene (modern Aswan). Its ancient Greek name was

Ethiopia, not to be confused with the modern nation of Ethiopia

(Abyssinia). (Youngblood)

1. Ezekiel 29:10, I am against you and your

waterways. I will turn the land of Egypt into an



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utter desolate ruin from Migdol to Syene, as far as

the border with Ethiopia. (NET)

2. Esther 1:1, The following events happened in the

days of Ahasuerus. (I am referring to that

Ahasuerus who used to rule over a hundred and

twenty-seven provinces extending all the way from

India to Ethiopia.) (NET)

3. Esther 8:9, The king’s scribes were quickly

summoned—in the third month (that is, the month

of Sivan), on the twenty-third day. They wrote out

everything that Mordecai instructed to the Jews and

to the satraps and the governors and the officials of

the provinces all the way from India to Ethiopia—a

hundred and twenty-seven provinces in all—to each

province in its own script and to each people in their

own language, and to the Jews according to their

own script and their own language. (NET)

4. Job 28:19, The topaz of Cush cannot be compared

with it; it cannot be purchased with pure gold.

(NET)

5. Isaiah 18:2, 7, that sends messengers by sea, who

glide over the water’s surface in boats made of

papyrus. Go, you swift messengers, to a nation of

tall, smooth-skinned people, to a people that are

feared far and wide, to a nation strong and

victorious, whose land rivers divide. At that time

tribute will be brought to the Lord who commands

armies, by a people that are tall and smooth-

skinned, a people that are feared far and wide, a

nation strong and victorious, whose land rivers

divide. The tribute will be brought to the place



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where the Lord who commands armies has chosen

to reside, on Mount Zion. (NET)

6. Jeremiah 13:23, But there is little hope for you

ever doing good, you who are so accustomed to

doing evil. Can an Ethiopian change the color of his

skin? Can a leopard remove its spots? (NET)

7. Isaiah 18:1-6, The land of buzzing wings is as

good as dead, the one beyond the rivers of Cush,

that sends messengers by sea, who glide over the

water’s surface in boats made of papyrus. Go, you

swift messengers, to a nation of tall, smooth-skinned

people, to a people that are feared far and wide, to a

nation strong and victorious, whose land rivers

divide. All you who live in the world, who reside on

the earth, you will see a signal flag raised on the

mountains; you will hear a trumpet being blown.

For this is what the Lord has told me: “I will wait

and watch from my place, like scorching heat

produced by the sunlight, like a cloud of mist in the

heat of harvest.” For before the harvest, when the

bud has sprouted, and the ripening fruit appears, he

will cut off the unproductive shoots with pruning

knives; he will prune the tendrils. They will all be

left for the birds of the hills and the wild animals;

the birds will eat them during the summer, and all

the wild animals will eat them during the winter.

(NET)

8. Zephaniah 2:12, “You Ethiopians will also die by

my sword!” (NET)



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9. Psalm 68:31, They come with red cloth from

Egypt, Ethiopia voluntarily offers tribute to God.

(NET)

10. Isaiah 11:11, At that time the sovereign master

will again lift his hand to reclaim the remnant of his

people from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam,

Shinar, Hamath, and the seacoasts. (NET)

11. Isaiah 18:7, At that time tribute will be brought

to the Lord who commands armies, by a people that

are tall and smooth-skinned, a people that are

feared far and wide, a nation strong and victorious,

whose land rivers divide. The tribute will be brought

to the place where the Lord who commands armies

has chosen to reside, on Mount Zion. (NET)

B. On occasion Egypt and Cush were adversaries, but evidently at

this time they were allies. (McGee)

1. Attacks upon Egypt would affect Cush (Ethiopia).

II. When the slain fall in Egypt, her wealth would be carried away and

her foundations torn down.

A. The “day of the Lord” would leave Egypt in poverty, its wealth

being carried away by the Babylonians.

B. Egypt’s “foundations” were those things on which Egypt’s

success was built, its allies and mercenaries, etc. (See the Pulpit

Commentary.)

1. Psalm 11:3, When the foundations are destroyed, what

can the godly accomplish?” (NET)



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2. Psalm 82:5, They neither know nor understand. They

stumble around in the dark, while all the foundations of

the earth crumble. (NET)

Ezekiel 30:5, Ethiopia, Put, Lud, all the foreigners, Libya, and the

people of the covenant land will die by the sword along with them.

(NET)

I. Cush (Ethiopia, NKJV) and Put, Lydia and all (the rabble) Arabia, (the

mingled people (NKJV), Libya (Chub) and the people of the covenant

land will fall by the sword along with Egypt.

A. Cush (See comments on verse 4.)

B. Put (Libya, NKJV, Phut) was located in modern Sudan.

(Hamilton) Some scholars identify this land with Punt, an area on

the eastern shore of Africa (possibly Somaliland), famous for its

incense. Other scholars believe Put refers to certain Libyan tribes

west of Egypt. (Youngblood and Coffman)

1. Ezekiel 27:10, Men of Persia, Lud, and Put were

in your army, men of war. They hung shield and

helmet on you; they gave you your splendor. (NET)

2. Ezekiel 38:5, Persia, Ethiopia, and Put are with

them, all of them with shields and helmets. (NET)

3. Jeremiah 46:9, Go ahead and charge into battle,

you horsemen! Drive furiously, you charioteers! Let

the soldiers march out into battle, those from

Ethiopia and Libya who carry shields, and those

from Lydia who are armed with the bow. (NET)



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4. Ezekiel 30:5, Ethiopia, Put, Lud, all the

foreigners, Libya, and the people of the covenant

land will die by the sword along with them. (NET)

5. Nahum 3:9, Cush and Egypt had limitless

strength; Put and the Libyans were among her

allies. (NET)

C. Lydia (Lud, Lub, Chub, Cub) was located in Southwestern Asia

Minor, present day Turkey. (Hamilton) The Lydians are

mentioned as “men of war” or mercenaries by Ezekiel. Their

fertile land produced figs, grain, grapes and olives. (Youngblood)

1. Ezekiel 27:10, Men of Persia, Lud, and Put were in

your army, men of war. They hung shield and helmet on

you; they gave you your splendor. (NET)

2. Ezekiel 30:5, Ethiopia, Put, Lud, all the foreigners,

Libya, and the people of the covenant land will die by the

sword along with them. (NET)

3. Jeremiah 46:9, Go ahead and charge into battle, you

horsemen! Drive furiously, you charioteers! Let the

soldiers march out into battle, those from Ethiopia and

Libya who carry shields, and those from Lydia who are

armed with the bow. (NET)

D. Arabia is the large peninsula east of Egypt, between the Red

Sea and the Persian Gulf. The Arabian peninsula is a desert, sandy

and rocky with high mountain ranges on the western and southern

coasts. The queen of Sheba came from Arabia. (Youngblood)

1. Job 1:19, and suddenly a great wind swept across the

wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and



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it fell on the young people, and they died! And I—only I

alone—escaped to tell you!” (NET)

2. Job 27:20-21, Terrors overwhelm him like a flood; at

night a whirlwind carries him off. The east wind carries

him away, and he is gone; it sweeps him out of his place.

(NET)

3. 1 Kings 10:2, 10, 14, She arrived in Jerusalem with a

great display of pomp, bringing with her camels carrying

spices, a very large quantity of gold, and precious gems.

She visited Solomon and discussed with him everything

that was on her mind. She gave the king 120 talents of

gold, a very large quantity of spices, and precious gems.

The quantity of spices the queen of Sheba gave King

Solomon has never been matched. Solomon received 666

talents of gold per year, (NET)

4. 2 Chronicles 9:1, 9, 14, When the queen of Sheba heard

about Solomon, she came to challenge him with difficult

questions. She arrived in Jerusalem with a great display

of pomp, bringing with her camels carrying spices, a very

large quantity of gold, and precious gems. She visited

Solomon and discussed with him everything that was on

her mind. She gave the king 120 talents of gold and a very

large quantity of spices and precious gems. The quantity

of spices the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon has

never been matched. besides what he collected from the

merchants and traders. All the Arabian kings and the

governors of the land also brought gold and silver to

Solomon. (NET)

5. Job 22:24, and throw your gold in the dust— your gold

of Ophir among the rocks in the ravines— (NET)



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6. Isaiah 13:12, I will make human beings more scarce

than pure gold, and people more scarce than gold from

Ophir. (NET)

7. Ezekiel 27:22, The merchants of Sheba and Raamah

engaged in trade with you; they traded the best kinds of

spices along with precious stones and gold for your

products. (NET)

E. Libya was a country of northern Africa west of Egypt, also

called Phut or Put. Cyrene is the New Testament name for Libya.

(Youngblood) (NET)

1. Ezekiel 27:10, Men of Persia, Lud, and Put were in

your army, men of war. They hung shield and helmet on

you; they gave you your splendor. (NET)

2. Acts 2:10, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts

of Libya near Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, (NET)

3. Matthew 27:32, As they were going out, they found a

man from Cyrene named Simon, whom they forced to

carry his cross. (NET)

4. Jeremiah 46:9, Go ahead and charge into battle, you

horsemen! Drive furiously, you charioteers! Let the

soldiers march out into battle, those from Ethiopia and

Libya who carry shields, and those from Lydia who are

armed with the bow. (NET)

5. Nahum 3:9, Cush and Egypt had limitless strength; Put

and the Libyans were among her allies. (NET)

F. All the mingled people (all the rabble), refers to mercenary

soldiers employed by Egypt, Fredenburg explained, and these also



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would be killed by the sword. These came from various nations

and so were “mingled.”

G. Egypt’s allies would also be slain. (See Smith.) and their

wealth confiscated. (See Fredenburg.)

1. Ezekiel 29:19, Therefore this is what the sovereign

Lord says: Look, I am about to give the land of Egypt to

King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon. He will carry off her

wealth, capture her loot, and seize her plunder; it will be

his army’s wages. (NET)

2. Allies and dependents alike would experience destruction

along with Egypt. (See Coffman.)

H. The people of the covenant land refer to Jewish expatriates

living in Egypt and serving in the Egyptian armed forces. These

people would share in Egypt’s destruction. (See Coffman.)

1. Jeremiah 43:5-7, Instead Johanan son of Kareah and

all the army officers led off all the Judean remnant who

had come back to live in the land of Judah from all the

nations where they had been scattered. They also led off

all the men, women, children, and royal princesses that

Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, had left

with Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam and grandson of

Shaphan. This included the prophet Jeremiah and

Baruch son of Neriah. They went on to Egypt because

they refused to obey the Lord, and came to Tahpanhes.

(NET)

2. Jeremiah 44:1, Judeans who were living in the land of

Egypt, those in Migdol, Tahpanhes, Memphis, and in the

region of southern Egypt. (NET)



21

3. Daniel 11:28, Then the king of the north will return to

his own land with much property. His mind will be set

against the holy covenant. He will take action, and then

return to his own land. (NET)

4. Acts 3:25, You are the sons of the prophets and of the

covenant that God made with your ancestors, saying to

Abraham, ‘And in your descendants all the nations of the

earth will be blessed.’ (NET)

5. Ezekiel 23:42, The sound of a carefree crowd

accompanied her, including all kinds of men; even

Sabeans were brought from the desert. The sisters put

bracelets on their wrists and beautiful crowns on their

heads. (NET)

I. Three listed cities were located in Upper Egypt while five were

located in Lower Egypt which included the cultural, political,

educational and religious centers of the country. (See Coffman.)

J. These allied nations would all be defeated, fall before the

powerful Babylonian army!

Destruction to Include Allies and Dependents

Ezekiel 30:6, “‘This is what the Lord says: Egypt’s supporters will

fall; her confident pride will crumble. From Migdol to Syene they

will die by the sword within her, declares the sovereign Lord.

(NET)

I. “‘This is what the Lord says: The allies of Egypt will fall and her

proud strength will fail.

A. The things of which Egypt was proud would fall, fail, be

destroyed.



22

1. Egypt’s allies would suffer along with Egypt..

a. Ezekiel 29:10-12, I am against you and your

waterways. I will turn the land of Egypt into an

utter desolate ruin from Migdol to Syene, as far as

the border with Ethiopia. No human foot will pass

through it, and no animal’s foot will pass through it;

it will be uninhabited for forty years. I will turn the

land of Egypt into a desolation in the midst of

desolate lands; for forty years her cities will lie

desolate in the midst of ruined cities. I will scatter

Egypt among the nations and disperse them among

foreign countries. (NET)

B. Again, pride went before a fall!

1. “Yahweh tolerates no national arrogance, whether from his

own people, or from others not as closely associated with

him,’” Fredenburg wrote.

II. From Migdol to Aswan they will fall by the sword within her,

declares the Sovereign Lord.

A. Migdol is the name of two Egyptian places, one west of the Red

Sea in the eastern region of the Nile Delta which was an

encampment site of the Israelites when they left Egypt under

Moses’ leadership and the second in Northeastern Egypt. After the

destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians under

Nebuchadnezzar, some Israelites fled to Egypt and lived in

Migdol. (Youngblood)

1. Jeremiah 44:1, Judeans who were living in the land of


region of southern Egypt. (NET)



23

2. Jeremiah 46:14, “Make an announcement throughout

Egypt. Proclaim it in Migdol, Memphis, and Tahpanhes.

‘Take your positions and prepare to do battle. For the

enemy army is destroying all the nations around you.’

(NET)

3. Exodus 14:2, “Tell the Israelites that they must turn

and camp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the

sea; you are to camp by the sea before Baal Zephon

opposite it. (NET)

4. Ezekiel 29:10, I am against you and your waterways. I

will turn the land of Egypt into an utter desolate ruin

from Migdol to Syene, as far as the border with Ethiopia.

(NET)

B. Aswan (Syene) was a city of southern Egypt situated on the east

bank of the Nile River near the border of Ethiopia. Aswan was

located 550 miles south Cairo. (Youngblood)

Ezekiel 30:7, They will be desolate among desolate lands, and their

cities will be among ruined cities. (NET)

I. “‘They will be desolate among desolate lands, and their cities will lie

among ruined cities.

A. Among desolated lands those named will be the most desolated,

Clarke advised.

Ezekiel 30:8, They will know that I am the Lord when I ignite a fire

in Egypt and all her allies are defeated. (NET) I. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I set fire to Egypt and

all her helpers are crushed.



24

A. By these desolating experiences, Egypt would come to know

that Yahweh was indeed God. (See Smith.)

B. “Fire” encompasses all the punishments which would befall

Egypt, Fredenburg wrote.

C. Coffman observed that Egypt was persuaded the fall of others

was proof of the power and superiority of their gods over other

gods including Jehovah.

1. The fall of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar would certainly

cause the Egyptians to adjust their thinking.

2. They will come to recognize Jehovah was indeed the Lord.

a. This was now the second time God had soundly

defeated the gods of Egypt, the first being on the

occasion of the exodus under the leadership of Moses.

(See Coffman.)

Ezekiel 30:9, On that day messengers will go out from me in ships to

frighten overly confident Ethiopia; panic will overtake them on the

day of Egypt’s doom; for beware—it is coming! (NET)

I. “‘On that day messengers will go out from me in ships to frighten

Cush (the careless Ethiopians, NKJV) out of her complacency.

A. Neighboring nations would be devastated by the news that

Egypt had been soundly defeated. (See Smith.)

1. Ezekiel 18:2, “What do you mean by quoting this

proverb concerning the land of Israel, “‘The fathers eat

sour grapes And the children’s teeth become numb?’

(NET)



25

2. This shocking news most certainly removed all

complacency from Egypt’s allied nations.

3. Egypt’s allies most certainly must have been greatly

concerned that Egypt’s troubles would befall them as well.

B. Ships could be used to invade Egypt because, as Clarke advised,

the Nile was navigable all the way to Syene (Aswan) where the

first cataracts appear.

1. Egyptian messenger ships probably also carried invasion

all up and down the Nile River.

2. Egyptians, seeing these enemy ships of war on their sacred

Nile River, would be terrified.

3. This fear would spread to neighboring Cush, Ethiopia.

4. These Babylonian ships actually had the blessings of the

Sovereign Lord on this military engagement.

II. Anguish will take hold of them on the day of Egypt’s doom, for it is

sure to come.

A. Cush, Ethiopia, having great confidence in Egypt, had been

complacent but, when Egypt gave way to the Babylonian invasion,

anguish would come to Cush and all other Egyptian allies as well

as to Egypt itself.

1. Isaiah 32:9-11, You complacent women, get up and

listen to me! You carefree daughters, pay attention to

what I say! In a year’s time you carefree ones will shake

with fear, for the grape harvest will fail, and the fruit

harvest will not arrive. Tremble, you complacent ones!

Shake with fear, you carefree ones! Strip off your clothes



26

and expose yourselves—put sackcloth on your waist!

(NET)

2. Anguish, fear will sweep the land as if it had been a deadly

plague.

3. Zephaniah 2:15, This is how the once-proud city will

end up— the city that was so secure. She thought to

herself, “I am unique! No one can compare to me!” What

a heap of ruins she has become, a place where wild

animals live! Everyone who passes by her taunts her and

shakes his fist. (NET)

B. Egypt and all those associated with it would fall, be destroyed

and suffer fear and anguish, Coffman wrote.

1. “The judgment of God would be comprehensive; it would

be awful; but the purpose of God would be accomplished,”

Coffman wrote.

2. Egypt did indeed learn that Jehovah is God and

consequently they forsook their pagan gods. (See Coffman.)

3. Exodus 15:14-15, The nations will hear and tremble;

anguish will seize the inhabitants of Philistia. Then the

chiefs of Edom will be terrified, trembling will seize the

leaders of Moab, and the inhabitants of Canaan will

shake. (NET)



27

The Wealth of Egypt to be Carried Away

Ezekiel 30:10, “‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: I will put an

end to the hordes of Egypt, by the hand of King Nebuchadrezzar of

Babylon. (NET)

I. ‘“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: . . .

A. By repeating this fact so often Ezekiel kept constantly before

the people that what he told them came directly from God, that he

simply delivered the message.

II. “‘I will put an end to the hordes of Egypt by the hand of

Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.

A. Babylon was one of the oldest cities of the ancient world dating

back to circa 2,300 B.C. It was located between the Tigris and

Euphrates Rivers and became the capital of the Babylonian empire.

It was located 30 miles southwest of Baghdad, Irag. The Assryians

conquered Babylon in the eighth century B.C., but Babylon

regained its independence and gradually became a world power.

Among its conquests was Jerusalem under Nebuchadnezzar. In

later years, Babylon was itself conquered by the Medo-Persians.

Today, the ruins of the city stand as an eloquent testimony to the

passing of proud empires and to the providential hand of God.

(Youngblood)

B. Ezekiel specified that Nebuchadnezzar would be God’s tool by

which this devastation would be produced. (See Smith.)

1. The huge Egyptian army, the hordes of Egypt, would be

soundly defeated.



28

Ezekiel 30:11, He and his people with him, the most terrifying of the

nations, will be brought there to destroy the land. They will draw

their swords against Egypt, and fill the land with corpses. (NET)

I. He and his army – the most ruthless of nations – will be brought in to

destroy the land.

A. Nebuchadnezzar, his army and God would see to the destruction

of Egypt. (See Fredenburg.)

1. Jeremiah 46:2-28, He spoke about Egypt and the army

of Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt which was encamped

along the Euphrates River at Carchemish. Now this was

the army that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon defeated

in the fourth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was ruling

over Judah. “Fall into ranks with your shields ready!

Prepare to march into battle! Harness the horses to the

chariots! Mount your horses! Put on your helmets and

take your positions! Sharpen your spears! Put on your

armor! What do I see?” says the Lord. “The soldiers are

terrified. They are retreating. They have been defeated.

They are overcome with terror; they desert quickly

without looking back. But even the swiftest cannot get

away. Even the strongest cannot escape. There in the

north by the Euphrates River they stumble and fall in

defeat. “Who is this that rises like the Nile, like its

streams turbulent at flood stage? Egypt rises like the Nile,

like its streams turbulent at flood stage. Egypt says, ‘I will

arise and cover the earth. I will destroy cities and the

people who inhabit them.’ Go ahead and charge into

battle, you horsemen! Drive furiously, you charioteers!

Let the soldiers march out into battle, those from

Ethiopia and Libya who carry shields, and those from

Lydia who are armed with the bow. But that day belongs

to the Lord God who rules over all. It is the day when he



29

will pay back his enemies. His sword will devour them

until its appetite is satisfied! It will drink their blood until

it is full! For the Lord God who rules over all will offer

them up as a sacrifice in the land of the north by the

Euphrates River. Go up to Gilead and get medicinal

ointment, you dear poor people of Egypt. But it will prove

useless no matter how much medicine you use; there will

be no healing for you. The nations will hear of your

devastating defeat. your cries of distress will echo

throughout the earth. In the panic of their flight one

soldier will trip over another and both of them will fall

down defeated.” The Lord spoke to the prophet Jeremiah

about Nebuchadnezzar coming to attack the land of

Egypt. “Make an announcement throughout Egypt.

Proclaim it in Migdol, Memphis, and Tahpanhes. ‘Take

your positions and prepare to do battle. For the enemy

army is destroying all the nations around you.’ Why will

your soldiers be defeated? They will not stand because I,

the Lord, will thrust them down. I will make many

stumble. They will fall over one another in their hurry to

flee. They will say, ‘Get up! Let’s go back to our own

people. Let’s go back to our homelands because the

enemy is coming to destroy us.’ There at home they will

say, ‘Pharaoh king of Egypt is just a big noise! He has let

the most opportune moment pass by.’ I the King, whose

name is the Lord who rules over all, swear this: I swear as

surely as I live that a conqueror is coming. He will be as

imposing as Mount Tabor is among the mountains, as

Mount Carmel is against the backdrop of the sea. Pack

your bags for exile, you inhabitants of poor dear Egypt.

For Memphis will be laid waste. It will lie in ruins and be

uninhabited. Egypt is like a beautiful young cow. But

northern armies will attack her like swarms of stinging

flies. Even her mercenaries will prove to be like

pampered, well-fed calves. For they too will turn and run



30

away. They will not stand their ground when the time for

them to be destroyed comes, the time for them to be

punished. Egypt will run away, hissing like a snake, as the

enemy comes marching up in force. They will come

against her with axes as if they were woodsmen chopping

down trees. The population of Egypt is like a vast,

impenetrable forest. But I, the Lord, affirm that the

enemy will cut them down. For those who chop them

down will be more numerous than locusts. They will be

too numerous to count. Poor dear Egypt will be put to

shame. She will be handed over to the people from the

north.” The Lord God of Israel who rules over all says, “I

will punish Amon, the god of Thebes. I will punish Egypt,

its gods, and its kings. I will punish Pharaoh and all who

trust in him. I will hand them over to Nebuchadnezzar

and his troops, who want to kill them. But later on, people

will live in Egypt again as they did in former times. I, the

Lord, affirm it!” “You descendants of Jacob, my servants,

do not be afraid; do not be terrified, people of Israel. For

I will rescue you and your descendants from the faraway

lands where you are captives. The descendants of Jacob

will return to their land and enjoy peace. They will be

secure and no one will terrify them. I, the Lord, tell you

not to be afraid, you descendants of Jacob, my servant,

for I am with you. Though I completely destroy all the

nations where I scatter you, I will not completely destroy

you. I will indeed discipline you but only in due measure.

I will not allow you to go entirely unpunished.” (NET)

2. Ezekiel 28:7, I am about to bring foreigners against

you, the most terrifying of nations. They will draw their

swords against the grandeur made by your wisdom, and

they will defile your splendor. (NET)



31

3. Ezekiel 31:12, Foreigners from the most terrifying

nations have cut it down and left it to lie there on the

mountains. In all the valleys its branches have fallen, and

its boughs lie broken in the ravines of the land. All the

peoples of the land have departed from its shade and left

it. (NET)

II. They will draw their swords against Egypt and fill the land with the

slain.

A. There would be wholesale and indiscriminate slaughter. (See

Fredenburg.)

The Cities to be Destroyed

Ezekiel 30:12, I will dry up the waterways and hand the land over to

evil men. I will make the land and everything in it desolate by the

hand of foreigners. I, the Lord, have spoken! (NET)

I. I will dry up the streams of the Nile and sell the land to evil men; . . .

A. Smith explained that drying up the streams of the Nile delta

means that God would remove every obstacle from Nebuched-

nezzar’s invasion of Egypt.

1. This was a traditional curse against Egypt as the Nile was

its source of life. Destroy the Nile and Egypt would die.

(See Fredenburg.)

2. The land of Egypt would be left in ruins.

B. Nebuchadnezzar had been called God’s servant because he was

doing God’s work whether he realized it or not.



32

C. Here Nebuchadnezzar and his army are called “evil men”

because of their personal characters and behaviors.

D. Egypt would be sold to foreigners; that is, Egypt would be

controlled by “evil men,” Babylonians.

1. Ezekiel 29:19-20, Therefore this is what the sovereign

Lord says: Look, I am about to give the land of Egypt to

King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon. He will carry off her

wealth, capture her loot, and seize her plunder; it will be

his army’s wages. 20 I have given him the land of Egypt

as his compensation for attacking Tyre, because they did

it for me, declares the sovereign Lord. (NET)

2. Judges 2:14, The Lord was furious with Israel and

handed them over to robbers who plundered them. He

turned them over to their enemies who lived around

them. They could not withstand their enemies’ attacks.

(NET)

3. Judges 4:2, 9, The Lord turned them over to King

Jabin of Canaan, who ruled in Hazor. The general of his

army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth Haggoyim. She

said, “I will indeed go with you. But you will not gain

fame on the expedition you are undertaking, for the Lord

will turn Sisera over to a woman.” Deborah got up and

went with Barak to Kedesh. (NET)

4. Judges 13:1, The Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s

sight, so the Lord handed them over to the Philistines for

forty years. (NET)

5. 1 Kings 22:6, So the king of Israel assembled about

four hundred prophets and asked them, “Should I attack



33

Ramoth Gilead or not?” They said, “Attack! The

sovereign one will hand it over to the king.” (NET)

E. “Egypt” was steeped in and settled into the most arrogant

paganism. They worshipped dogs, cats, snakes, their king, the Nile

River, etc. Why did they quit? Why did they renounce

paganism?” The disasters predicted in this oracle caused these

earth shaking changes! (See Coffman.)

F. Clarke wrote that the Egyptians depended on the yearly

overflowing of the Nile for their agricultural prosperity. For this

overflowing to be absent on a given year or series of years, the

streams of the Nile delta would certainly “dry up” making the

fertile delta of no agricultural value.

II. by the hand of foreigners I will lay waste the land and every thing in

it.

A. God would use the foreign Babylonians to do his will in this

matter.

B. Fredenburg noted that “the land” strikes at the heart of

individual and national identify for ancient Near Easterners and

was the place where one’s gods reigned supreme, where one felt

secure and where family memories were kept alive. The

Babylonians desecrated the landing all these sacred domains.

III. I the Lord have spoken.

A. The Lord had foretold the defeat of Egypt and, consequently,

that’s exactly what would happen.

Ezekiel 30:13, “‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: I will destroy

the idols, and put an end to the gods of Memphis. There will no



34

longer be a prince from the land of Egypt; so I will make the land of

Egypt fearful. (NET)

I. “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: . . .

A. It is absolutely vital that those who profess to be teachers and

preachers of God’s word speak exactly what God has revealed in

the holy scriptures.

B. This was so important to Ezekiel that, in this one chapter alone

(verses 2, 6, 10, 13), he emphasized four times that he was

presenting to his listeners exactly “what the Sovereign Lord says,”

nothing more and nothing less.

II. “‘I will destroy the idols and put an end to the images in Memphis.

A. Memphis was ancient Egypt’s principal city. Today there is

little left to mark the glorious past of the city. (Youngblood)

Memphis was the principle city and capital during most of Egypt’s

ancient history. (Hamilton.) . . . and a seat of Egyptian idolatry.

(Clarke)

1. Bromiley wrote that Memphis (Noph) was filled idols

lining even both sides of the street. The only remaining idol

is a statue of Remases laying on is back on the ground.

2. Hosea 9:6, Look! Even if they flee from the destruction,

Egypt will take hold of them, and Memphis will bury

them. The weeds will inherit the silver they treasure—

thorn bushes will occupy their homes. (NET)

B. Egypt was destroyed for more than one reason including their

worship of idols/false gods and their failure to whole heartedly

keep their covenant with Jerusalem to help defend it against

Nebuchadnezzar’s siege of the city.



35

1. Yahweh show himself superior over Egypt’s gods and

every other thing they held dear.

2. Ptah was the god closely associated with Memphis.

III. No longer will there be a prince (Pharaoh) in Egypt, and I will

spread fear through the land.

A. Egypt would be ruled by a succession of foreign rulers, Smith

wrote.

1. McGee wrote that even Cleopatra was a Greek rather than

an Egyptian.

B. “Fear”, awe, reverence would cover the land. (See Fredenburg.)

The oppressors would defeat Israel in all manner of ways, even

psychologically.

Ezekiel 30:14, I will desolate Pathros, I will ignite a fire in Zoan, and

I will execute judgments on Thebes. (NET)

I. I will lay waste Upper Egypt (Pathros, the southern land), set fire to

Zoan and inflict punishment on Thebes.

A. “The major urban centers of Memphis, Zoan, Thebes, Pelusium,

Heliopolis, Bubastis, and Tahpanhes will be destroyed.

(Hamilton.)

1. Nahum 3:8-10, You are no more secure than Thebes—

she was located on the banks of the Nile; the waters

surrounded her, her rampart was the sea, the water was

her wall. Cush and Egypt had limitless strength; Put and

the Libyans were among her allies. Yet she went into

captivity as an exile; even her infants were smashed to



36

pieces at the head of every street. They cast lots for her

nobility; all her dignitaries were bound with chains.

(NET)

2. Isaiah 11:11, At that time the sovereign master will

again lift his hand to reclaim the remnant of his people

from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar,

Hamath, and the seacoasts. (NET)

3. Jeremiah 44:1, 15, The Lord spoke to Jeremiah

concerning all the Judeans who were living in the land of


region of southern Egypt. Then all the men who were

aware that their wives were sacrificing to other gods, as

well as all their wives, answered Jeremiah. There was a

great crowd of them representing all the people who lived

in northern and southern Egypt. They answered, (NET)

4. Ezekiel 30:10-14, “‘This is what the sovereign Lord

says: I will put an end to the hordes of Egypt, by the hand

of King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon. He and his people

with him, the most terrifying of the nations, will be

brought there to destroy the land. They will draw their

swords against Egypt, and fill the land with corpses. I will

dry up the waterways and hand the land over to evil men.

I will make the land and everything in it desolate by the

hand of foreigners. I, the Lord, have spoken! “‘This is

what the sovereign Lord says: I will destroy the idols, and

put an end to the gods of Memphis. There will no longer

be a prince from the land of Egypt; so I will make the

land of Egypt fearful. I will desolate Pathros, I will ignite

a fire in Zoan, and I will execute judgments on Thebes.

(NET)



37

5. Ezekiel 29:14, I will restore the fortunes of Egypt, and

will bring them back to the land of Pathros, to the land of

their origin; there they will be an insignificant kingdom.

(NET)

B. Lower Egypt was northern Egypt while Upper Egypt (Pathros,

the Hebrew name for Southern Egypt (NKJV), was Southern

Egypt. “Upper” and “Lower” refer to elevation of the land.

(Fredenburg.)

C. Zoan (Tanis) was an ancient, royal capital city in the Eastern

Egyptian delta that dates back to the days of Abraham

(Youngblood) which was located near the Mediterranean Sea.

(Fredenburg)

1. Numbers 13:22, When they went up through the Negev,

they came to Hebron where Ahiman, Sheshai, and

Talmai, descendants of Anak, were living. (Now Hebron

had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) (NET)

2. Isaiah 19:1, Here is a message about Egypt: Look, the

Lord rides on a swift-moving cloud and approaches

Egypt. The idols of Egypt tremble before him; the

Egyptians lose their courage. (NET)

D. Thebes (No, No Amon) was the royal city of southern Egypt at

modern Luxor, about 350 miles south of Cairo and 400 miles south

of Memphis. Thebes was the center of worship of the great

Egyptian god Amos (Amun). Many Egyptian kings and queens

were buried there. It was sacked by the Assryians in 663 B.C.

(Youngblood and Coffman)

1. Jeremiah 46:25, The Lord God of Israel who rules over

all says, “I will punish Amon, the god of Thebes. I will



38

punish Egypt, its gods, and its kings. I will punish

Pharaoh and all who trust in him. (NET)

2. Nahum 3:8-10, You are no more secure than Thebes—

she was located on the banks of the Nile; the waters

surrounded her, her rampart was the sea, the water was

her wall. Cush and Egypt had limitless strength; Put and

the Libyans were among her allies. Yet she went into

captivity as an exile; even her infants were smashed to

pieces at the head of every street. They cast lots for her

nobility; all her dignitaries were bound with chains.

(NET)

Ezekiel 30:15, I will pour out my anger upon Pelusium, the

stronghold of Egypt; I will cut off the hordes of Thebes. (NET)

I. I will pour out my wrath on Pelusium, the stronghold of Egypt, and cut

off the hordes of Thebes (No, No Amon).

A. “Pelusium (Sin) was an important eastern fortress city

(Hamilton) that guarded the northern frontier of Egypt. (Bromiley)

Pelusium was located on the well-traveled road along the

Mediterranean seacoast and was, due to location, one of the first

cities to be attacked by the invading Babylonians. (Fredenburg)

B. For information on Thebes, see commentary on verse 14.

C. Each of these cities was identified with a particular pagan diety.

God’s attack on the cities was an attack on their associated deities.

Ezekiel 30:16, I will ignite a fire in Egypt; Syene will writhe in

agony, Thebes will be broken down, and Memphis will face enemies

every day. (NET)



39

I. I will set fire to Egypt; Pelusium (Sin) will writhe in agony. Thebes

will be taken by storm; Memphis will be in constant distress.

A. Many scholars have commented on their perceived differences

in the personality and character of God as presented in the Old

Testament and the New Testament.

B. “Pelusium is called the stronghold of Egypt,” Coffman wrote.

C. Egypt will be set on fire, destroyed!

Ezekiel 30:17, The young men of On and of Pi-beseth will die by the

sword; and the cities will go into captivity. (NET)

I. The young men of Heliopolis, Aven, NKJV and Bubastis (Pi Beseth,

NKJV) will fall by the sword and the cities themselves will go into

captivity.

A. Heliopolis (nothingness or wickedness), also known as On and

Aven, was the center of Egyptian sun worship. (Hamilton.)

Heliopolis was an ancient city of Lower Egypt in the Nile Delta on

the east bank of the Nile river, about 31 miles north of Memphis

and about 6 miles northeast of Cairo. Heliopolis boasted a school

for priests (theological seminary and a medical school Heliopolis,

city of the sun, was the principal seat of the cult of Ra whose

devotees worshiped the sun-god. The priests of On were at one

time considered the most learned men in the history of Egypt.

1. Ezekiel 20:5-9, and say to them: “‘This is what the

sovereign Lord says: On the day I chose Israel I swore to

the descendants of the house of Jacob and made myself

known to them in the land of Egypt. I swore to them, “I

am the Lord your God.” On that day I swore to bring

them out of the land of Egypt to a land which I had

picked out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey,



40

the most beautiful of all lands. I said to them, “Each of

you must get rid of the detestable idols you keep before

you, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I

am the Lord your God.” But they rebelled against me,

and refused to listen to me; no one got rid of their

detestable idols, nor did they abandon the idols of Egypt.

Then I decided to pour out my rage on them and fully

vent my anger against them in the midst of the land of

Egypt. I acted for the sake of my reputation, so that I

would not be profaned before the nations among whom

they lived, before whom I revealed myself by bringing

them out of the land of Egypt. (NET)

2. Genesis 41:45, 50, Pharaoh gave Joseph the name

Zaphenath-Paneah. He also gave him Asenath daughter

of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. So Joseph took

charge of all the land of Egypt. Two sons were born to

Joseph before the famine came. Asenath daughter of

Potiphera, priest of On, was their mother. (NET)

3. Genesis 46:20, Manasseh and Ephraim were born to

Joseph in the land of Egypt. Asenath daughter of

Potiphera, priest of On, bore them to him. (NET)

4. Jeremiah 43:13, He will demolish the sacred pillars in

the temple of the sun in Egypt and will burn down the

temples of the gods of Egypt.”’” (NET)

B. Bubastis (Pi Beseth) was the center of feline worship.

(Hamilton) The cat-headed goddess Ubastet was worshipped at

Bubastis. (Coffman) Bubastis was an ancient city in the Nile

River delta that served as the capital of Egypt at one time in its

history. The city was located about 30 miles southwest of ancient

Zoan and about 45 miles northeast of modern Cairo.



41

(Youngblood) Bubastis was located on the eastern branch of the

Nile, toward Arabia. (Clarke)

Ezekiel 30:18, In Tahpanhes the day will be dark when I break the

yoke of Egypt there. Her confident pride will cease within her; a

cloud will cover her, and her daughters will go into captivity. (NET)

I. Dark will be the day at Tahpanhes when I break the yoke of Egypt;

there her proud strength will come to an end.

A. Tahpanhes (Tehaphnehes) was a northern fortress center

(Hamilton), a city on the eastern frontier of lower Egypt, in the

area of the Nile delta. Tahpanhes became a place of refuge for

Jews who fled their homeland after the assassination of Gedaliah.

1. Jeremiah 2:16, Even the soldiers from Memphis and

Tahpanhes have cracked your skulls, people of Israel.

(NET)

2. Ezekiel 30:18, In Tahpanhes the day will be dark when

I break the yoke of Egypt there. Her confident pride will

cease within her; a cloud will cover her, and her

daughters will go into captivity. (NET)

3. Jeremiah 42:7- 22, Ten days later the Lord spoke to

Jeremiah. So Jeremiah summoned Johanan son of

Kareah and all the army officers who were with him and

all the people of every class. Then Jeremiah said to them,

“You sent me to the Lord God of Israel to make your

request known to him. Here is what he says to you: ‘If

you will just stay in this land, I will build you up. I will

not tear you down. I will firmly plant you. I will not

uproot you. For I am filled with sorrow because of the

disaster that I have brought on you. Do not be afraid of

the king of Babylon whom you now fear. Do not be afraid



42

of him because I will be with you to save you and to

rescue you from his power. I, the Lord, affirm it! I will

have compassion on you so that he in turn will have

mercy on you and allow you to return to your land.’ “You

must not disobey the Lord your God by saying, ‘We will

not stay in this land.’ You must not say, ‘No, we will not

stay. Instead we will go and live in the land of Egypt

where we will not face war, or hear the enemy’s trumpet

calls, or starve for lack of food.’ If you people who remain

in Judah do that, then listen to what the Lord says. The

Lord God of Israel who rules over all says, ‘If you are so

determined to go to Egypt that you go and settle there,

the wars you fear will catch up with you there in the land

of Egypt. The starvation you are worried about will

follow you there to Egypt. You will die there. All the

people who are determined to go and settle in Egypt will

die from war, starvation, or disease. No one will survive

or escape the disaster I will bring on them.’ For the Lord

God of Israel who rules over all says, ‘If you go to Egypt,

I will pour out my wrath on you just as I poured out my

anger and wrath on the citizens of Jerusalem. You will

become an object of horror and ridicule, an example of

those who have been cursed and that people use in

pronouncing a curse. You will never see this place again.’

“The Lord has told you people who remain in Judah, ‘Do

not go to Egypt.’ Be very sure of this: I warn you here

and now. You are making a fatal mistake. For you sent

me to the Lord your God and asked me, ‘Pray to the Lord

our God for us. Tell us what the Lord our God says and

we will do it.’ This day I have told you what he said. But

you do not want to obey the Lord by doing what he sent

me to tell you. So now be very sure of this: You will die

from war, starvation, or disease in the place where you

want to go and live.” (NET)



43

4. Jeremiah 43:9-10, “Take some large stones and bury

them in the mortar of the clay pavement at the entrance

of Pharaoh’s residence here in Tahpanhes. Do it while the

people of Judah present there are watching. Then tell

them, ‘The Lord God of Israel who rules over all says, “I

will bring my servant King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I

will set his throne over these stones which I have buried.

He will pitch his royal tent over them. (NET)

5. Jeremiah 44:1, The Lord spoke to Jeremiah concerning

all the Judeans who were living in the land of Egypt,

those in Migdol, Tahpanhes, Memphis, and in the region

of southern Egypt. (NET)

Note: Egypt’s political and religious capitals would be destroyed, its

people slain, its wealth removed and some of its people carried into

captivity. In this way, the yoke Egypt had forced on other nations would

be broken. Egypt would now wear the yoke, be subject to others.

B. Yokes and bars are used as figures of tyranny, and of Egyptian

tyranny in particular, Coffman advised.

1. Clarke wrote that Nebuchadnezzar broke the scepter of

Egypt when he confirmed the kingdom to Amasis, who had

rebelled against, assassinated Pharoah Hophra, also known as

Apries.

2. The yoke Egypt had placed on others will be soon borne

by Egypt.

a. The tables had been turned.

C. The day of prosperity has passed and the dark days of

oppression, want and trouble will come.



44

1. Ezekiel 32:7, When I extinguish you, I will cover the

sky; I will darken its stars. I will cover the sun with a

cloud, and the moon will not shine. (NET)

2. Amos 5:20, Don’t you realize the Lord’s day of

judgment will bring darkness, not light—gloomy

blackness, not bright light? (NET)

3. Amos 8:9, In that day,” says the sovereign Lord, “I will

make the sun set at noon, and make the earth dark in the

middle of the day. (NET)

4. Isaiah 5:30, At that time they will growl over their

prey, it will sound like sea waves crashing against rocks.

One will look out over the land and see the darkness of

disaster, clouds will turn the light into darkness. (NET)

5. Jeremiah 8:16, The snorting of the enemy’s horses is

already being heard in the city of Dan. The sound of the

neighing of their stallions causes the whole land to

tremble with fear. They are coming to destroy the land

and everything in it! They are coming to destroy the cities

and everyone who lives in them!” (NET)

II. She will be covered with clouds, and her villages will go into

captivity.

A. Storm clouds would cover the nation, a figure of the approaching

doom to be inflicted by the Babylonian army.

Ezekiel 30:19, I will execute judgments on Egypt. Then they will

know that I am the Lord.’” (NET)

I. So I will inflict punishment on Egypt, and they will know that I am the

Lord.’”



45

A. However Egypt’s fall will have devastating international

repercussions affecting many nations allied with Egypt. (See

Fredenburg.) In this way Egypt was comparable to Tyre.

1. Ezekiel 26:15-18, “This is what the sovereign Lord says

to Tyre: Oh, how the coastlands will shake at the sound of

your fall, when the wounded groan, at the massive

slaughter in your midst! All the princes of the sea will

vacate their thrones. They will remove their robes and

strip off their embroidered clothes; they will clothe

themselves with trembling. They will sit on the ground;

they will tremble continually and be shocked at what has

happened to you. They will sing this lament over you:

“‘How you have perished—you have vanished from the

seas, O renowned city, once mighty in the sea, she and her

inhabitants, who spread their terror! Now the coastlands

will tremble on the day of your fall; the coastlands by the

sea will be terrified by your passing.’ (NET)

2. Ezekiel 30:5-9, Ethiopia, Put, Lud, all the foreigners,

Libya, and the people of the covenant land will die by the

sword along with them. “‘This is what the Lord says:

Egypt’s supporters will fall; her confident pride will

crumble. From Migdol to Syene they will die by the sword

within her, declares the sovereign Lord. They will be

desolate among desolate lands, and their cities will be

among ruined cities. They will know that I am the Lord

when I ignite a fire in Egypt and all her allies are

defeated. On that day messengers will go out from me in

ships to frighten overly confident Ethiopia; panic will

overtake them on the day of Egypt’s doom; for beware—

it is coming! (NET)



46

Ezekiel 30:20, In the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh

day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: (NET)

I. In the eleventh year, in the first month on the seventh day, the word of

the Lord came to me . . .

A. Hamilton and Fredenburg wrote that this oracle was received on

April 29, 586 B.C.E. (Coffman gave the year as 587 B.C. and

Clarke dated this oracle as April 26.)

B. When this oracle was given to Ezekiel, the fall of Jerusalem was

only weeks away, Smith wrote.

1. Coffman wrote that this oracle came to Ezekiel three

months before the fall of Jerusalem.

2. Ezekiel was more concerned with grouping his

pronouncements by subject rather than chronological order.

(Clarke.)

Ezekiel 30:21, “Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king

of Egypt. Look, it has not been bandaged for healing or set with a

dressing so that it might become strong enough to grasp a sword.

(NET)

I. “Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

A. Hophra had given himself the title, “Strong Arm,” and God

would break it. (Hamilton)

1. Hamilton also wrote that the broken arm symbolizes a

severely crippled army division unable any longer to hold a

sword. Smith wrote the broken arm represents the breaking

of Pharaoh’s military might.



47

2. Pharaoh Hophra reigned 589-570 B.C.

a. Jeremiah 44:30, I, the Lord, promise that I will

hand Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt over to his

enemies who are seeking to kill him. I will do that

just as surely as I handed King Zedekiah of Judah

over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, his enemy

who was seeking to kill him.’” (NET)

3. Smith and Clarke wrote that the breaking of Pharaoh’s arm

probably refers to the defeat of Pharaoh Hophra when he

tried to come to the aid of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. (Fredenburg

agreed.).

a. This defeat weakened Egypt so that, when

Nebuchadnezzar invaded Egypt, Pharaoh was unable to

withstand his military might.

b. Ezekiel 29:6, Then all those living in Egypt will

know that I am the Lord because they were a reed

staff for the house of Israel; (NET)

c. Jeremiah 37:1-11, Zedekiah son of Josiah

succeeded Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim as king. He

was elevated to the throne of the land of Judah by

King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Neither he nor

the officials who served him nor the people of Judah

paid any attention to what the Lord said through the

prophet Jeremiah. King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son

of Shelemiah and the priest Zephaniah son of

Maaseiah to the prophet Jeremiah. He told them to

say, “Please pray to the Lord our God on our

behalf.” (Now Jeremiah had not yet been put in

prison. So he was still free to come and go among the

people as he pleased. At that time the Babylonian



48

forces had temporarily given up their siege against

Jerusalem. They had had it under siege, but

withdrew when they heard that the army of Pharaoh

had set out from Egypt.) The Lord gave the prophet

Jeremiah a message for them. He told him to tell

them, “The Lord God of Israel says, ‘Give a message

to the king of Judah who sent you to ask me to help

him. Tell him, “The army of Pharaoh that was on its

way to help you will go back home to Egypt. Then

the Babylonian forces will return. They will attack

the city and will capture it and burn it down.

Moreover, I, the Lord, warn you not to deceive

yourselves into thinking that the Babylonian forces

will go away and leave you alone. For they will not

go away. For even if you were to defeat all the

Babylonian forces fighting against you so badly that

only wounded men were left lying in their tents, they

would get up and burn this city down.”’” The

following events also occurred while the Babylonian

forces had temporarily withdrawn from Jerusalem

because the army of Pharaoh was coming. (NET)

d. Evidently Hophra’s attempt to aid Jerusalem resulted

in his army’s suffering a humiliating defeat that left the

Egyptian military greatly weakened. (See Coffman.)

e. Jeremiah 34:21, I will also hand King Zedekiah of

Judah and his officials over to their enemies who

want to kill them. I will hand them over to the army

of the king of Babylon, even though they have

temporarily withdrawn from attacking you. (NET)

II. It has not been bound up for healing or put in a splint so as to

become strong enough to hold a sword.



49

A. ‘Arm’ is also a well-known biblical metaphor for strength,

Fredenburg wrote.

1. Ezekiel 4:7, You must turn your face toward the siege

of Jerusalem with your arm bared and prophesy against

it. (NET)

2. Ezekiel 20:33, As surely as I live, declares the sovereign

Lord, with a powerful hand and an outstretched arm, and

with an outpouring of rage, I will be king over you.

(NET)

3. Exodus 6:6, Therefore, tell the Israelites, ‘I am the

Lord. I will bring you out from your enslavement to the

Egyptians, I will rescue you from the hard labor they

impose, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm

and with great judgments. (NET)

4. Exodus 15:16, Fear and dread will fall on them; by the

greatness of your arm they will be as still as stone until

your people pass by, O Lord, until the people whom you

have bought pass by. (NET)

5. Deuteronomy 4:34, Or has God ever before tried to

deliver a nation from the middle of another nation,

accompanied by judgments, signs, wonders, war,

strength, power, and other very terrifying things like the

Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your very

eyes? (NET)

6. Deuteronomy 5:15, Recall that you were slaves in the

land of Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you

out of there by strength and power. That is why the Lord

your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath

day. (NET)



50

7. Deuteronomy 9:29, They are your people, your valued

property, whom you brought out with great strength and

power. (NET)

8. Ezekiel 17:9, “‘Say to them: This is what the sovereign

Lord says: “‘Will it prosper? Will he not rip out its roots

and cause its fruit to rot and wither? All its foliage will

wither. No strong arm or large army will be needed to

pull it out by its roots. (NET)

9. Jeremiah 48:25, Moab’s might will be crushed. Its

power will be broken. I, the Lord, affirm it!

B. Pharaoh’s arms , both of them, had been broken and no splint or

other remedy had been applied which left Pharaoh totally unable to

further resist Nebuchadnezzar’s forces.

1. He could no longer hold his royal scepter, much less a

battle sword!

2. McGee wrote, “Babylon was going to conquer Egypt, and

Pharaoh would be powerless to stop it!”

Ezekiel 30:22, Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: Look,

I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and I will break his arms, the

strong arm and the broken one, and I will make the sword drop

from his hand. (NET)

I. Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: . . .

A. Ezekiel ever made known the fact that what he preached was

exactly what the Sovereign Lord said, not what he had otherwise

heard from some other secular source.



51

II. I am against Pharaoh King of Egypt. I will break both his arms, the

good arm as well as the broken one, and make the sword fall from his

arm.

A. Hamilton wrote that this oracle reflects Hophra’s defeat by the

Babylonians when he tried to aid Zedekiah.

1. Jeremiah 37:1-11, of Jehoiakim as king. He was

elevated to the throne of the land of Judah by King

Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Neither he nor the officials

who served him nor the people of Judah paid any

attention to what the Lord said through the prophet

Jeremiah. King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah

and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah to the prophet

Jeremiah. He told them to say, “Please pray to the Lord

our God on our behalf.” (Now Jeremiah had not yet been

put in prison. So he was still free to come and go among

the people as he pleased. At that time the Babylonian

forces had temporarily given up their siege against

Jerusalem. They had had it under siege, but withdrew

when they heard that the army of Pharaoh had set out

from Egypt.) The Lord gave the prophet Jeremiah a

message for them. He told him to tell them, “The Lord

God of Israel says, ‘Give a message to the king of Judah

who sent you to ask me to help him. Tell him, “The army

of Pharaoh that was on its way to help you will go back

home to Egypt. Then the Babylonian forces will return.

They will attack the city and will capture it and burn it

down. Moreover, I, the Lord, warn you not to deceive

yourselves into thinking that the Babylonian forces will

go away and leave you alone. For they will not go away.

For even if you were to defeat all the Babylonian forces

fighting against you so badly that only wounded men

were left lying in their tents, they would get up and burn

this city down.”’” The following events also occurred



52

while the Babylonian forces had temporarily withdrawn

from Jerusalem because the army of Pharaoh was

coming. (NET)

2. With both arms broken Pharaoh was totally unable to resist

or to withstand Nebuchadnezzar’s invasion. (See Smith.)

B. Hophra had one arm broken, but the other arm would also soon

be broken; that is, Hophra had experienced painful defeats, but

other more severe and painful defeats were to come.

1. Pharaoh would never recover from his defeat at the hand

of the Babylonians.

Ezekiel 30:23, I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and

disperse them among foreign countries. (NET)

I. I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them

through the countries.

A. Ezekiel 29: 12, 14, 19, I will turn the land of Egypt into a

desolation in the midst of desolate lands; for forty years her

cities will lie desolate in the midst of ruined cities. I will scatter

Egypt among the nations and disperse them among foreign

countries. I will restore the fortunes of Egypt, and will bring

them back to the land of Pathros, to the land of their origin;

there they will be an insignificant kingdom. Therefore this is

what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am about to give the

land of Egypt to King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon. He will

carry off her wealth, capture her loot, and seize her plunder; it

will be his army’s wages. (NET)

B. Ezekiel 30:4, 17, 18, A sword will come against Egypt and

panic will overtake Ethiopia when the slain fall in Egypt and

they carry away her wealth and dismantle her foundations.



53

The young men of On and of Pi-beseth will die by the sword;

and the cities will go into captivity. In Tahpanhes the day will

be dark when I break the yoke of Egypt there. Her confident

pride will cease within her; a cloud will cover her, and her

daughters will go into captivity. (NET)

Ezekiel 30:24, I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and

I will place my sword in his hand, but I will break the arms of

Pharaoh, and he will groan like the fatally wounded before the king

of Babylon.

I. I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put my sword in

his hand, . . .

A. God would support Nebuchadnezzar in these ventures in order

to accomplish his goals.

1. Nebuchadnezzar was used as God’s tool to accomplish the

Sovereign Lord’s purposes.

II. but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan before him

like a mortally wounded man.

A. Egypt after being defeated is to a mortally wounded man

groaning in horrible pain.

Ezekiel 30:25, I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but

the arms of Pharaoh will fall limp. Then they will know that I am

the Lord when I place my sword in the hand of the king of Babylon

and he extends it against the land of Egypt. (NET)

I. I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of

Pharaoh will fall limp.



54

A. A second figure here is of Pharaoh’s arms being weak, feeble,

limp rather than broken.

II. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I put my sword into the

hand of the king of Babylon and he brandishes it against Egypt.

A. In their total devastation, their idols destroyed, there was no

way for Egypt to look except up . . . to Yahweh the God of heaven

and earth.

Ezekiel 30:26, I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and

disperse them among foreign countries. Then they will know that I

am the Lord.” (NET)

I. I will dispense the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them

through the countries.

A. In ancient times it was customary for the vanquished to be

exiled, taken captive by the victorious king.

1. Many defeated Egyptians were taken to Babylon.

a. Ezekiel 29:12, I will turn the land of Egypt into a

desolation in the midst of desolate lands; for forty

years her cities will lie desolate in the midst of

ruined cities. I will scatter Egypt among the nations

and disperse them among foreign countries. (NET)

II. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

A. Ezekiel 28:26, They will live securely in it; they will build

houses and plant vineyards. They will live securely when I

execute my judgments on all those who scorn them and

surround them. Then they will know that I am the Lord their

God.’” (NET)



55

B. Ezekiel 29:21, On that day I will make Israel powerful, and

I will give you the right to be heard among them. Then they

will know that I am the Lord.” (NET)

Conclusion:

I. God is so interested in mankind that he:

A. reveals his will to them (in our case, in the Bible).

B. works in the affairs of men to punish the wicked and reward the

righteous.

C. opposes every evil way.

II. To such an all powerful and caring God, his faithful children can pray

with full expectation that their prayers will be heard and answered!



56

Questions

on

Ezekiel 30:1-26

( Questions based on NIV text.)

1. How did Coffman outline Ezekiel 30? _________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

2. Why did Ezekiel grieve, lament the desolation which would befall

Egypt? ____________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

3. How many times in Ezekiel 30 does Ezekiel say, “The word of the

Lord came to me.” What is the significance of this statement? ________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

4. The day was near when ____________________ would come upon

____________ by way of the ____________ under the ______________

of ______________.



57

5. Egypt would “________________ (________________)” and

declare, “_______________ be to the ____________” when devastation

would strike them.

6. What is the meaning of “that day, the day, the day of the Lord, and a

day of clouds” as used in the Bible? _____________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

7. In ___________________, “the day of the Lord” refers to any

___________________ in which _______________ ______________

___________________ themselves in the ____________________ of

___________________.

8. What is the significance of “a day of clouds” for Egyptians? _______

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

9. A ______________ will come ______________ _________________

and ________________ (_______________ ____________________)

will come upon ___________________.

10. What were Egypt’s “foundations”? __________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________



58

11. Locate each of the following places. For what was each place

known? Cush ______________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

Libya _____________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

Lydia _____________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

Arabia ____________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

Migdol ___________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

Aswan ____________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________



59

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

Babylon ___________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

Memphis __________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

Upper Egypt _______________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

Lower Egypt _______________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

Thebes ____________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

Zoan _____________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________



60

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

Pelusium __________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

Heliopolis _________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

Bubastis ___________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

Tahpanhes _________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

12. Who were “the mingled people, the rabble”? __________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________



61

13. Who were Egypt’s allies? __________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

14. Who were “the people of the covenant”? ______________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

15. The _______________ of ______________ will ________________

_________________ and her _________________ _________________

will ______________. ______________ tolerates no ______________

______________, whether from his ______________ ______________

or from _________________.

16. How would Egypt’s destruction cause the Egyptians and their allies

to know that Yahweh was the Lord? ____________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

17. On what two occasions did Yahweh soundly defeat the gods of

Egypt? ____________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________



62

18. How were ships used to frighten Cush out of her complacency? ___

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

19. When in your lifetime has God worked in human events to change

the course of history? (This is an opinion question.) _______________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

20. How can it be said that wicked, pagan Nebuchadnezzar was God’s

tool? _____________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

21. What is meant by, “I will dry up the streams of the Nile? How was

this done? _________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

22. How important was “the land” to ancient Near Easterners? Why was

this true? __________________________________________________

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23. Compare Egypt before and after the Babylonian conquest of Egypt._

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24. List the actions and attitudes of God as expressed in Ezekiel 30. ___

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25. List actions and attitudes of God as you perceive them as revealed in

the New Testament. _________________________________________

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26. Reconcile any perceived contradictions between God’s actions and

attitudes as presented in Ezekiel 30 and in the New Testament. _______

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27. ___________‘s _____________ and _____________ ____________

would be _______________, its _______________ _______________,

its _______________ _______________ and some of its people carried

into _______________ _______________ would now be forced to wear

the _______________ she had previously forced on others.

28. Egypt would be covered with _______________ _______________

which are a figure of the _______________ _______________ to be

inflicted by the _______________ _______________.

29. Another oracle came to Ezekiel in the ____________________

________________ in the _______________ _______________ on the

_______________ _______________ of what? ___________________

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30. What is meant by, “I have broken the arm of Pharaoh King of

Egypt” and “It has not been bound up for healing or put in a splint so as

to be strong enough to hold a sword? When were his arms broken? ___

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31. How and when did Pharaoh Hophra’s reign end? Who became

Pharaoh following Hophra? Was this fair and just? ________________

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32. Evidently __________________’s attempt to __________________

____________ resulted in his ___________’s suffering a ____________

____________ that left the ______________ _______________ greatly

____________.

33. _____________, whose _____________ were to be _____________,

would _____________ ______________ from his ________________

at the _______________ of the _______________.

34. God would ___________ the _____________ of the _____________

of _____________, but the _____________ of _____________ will

_____________ _____________.

35. In their _____________ ______________, their ________________

___________, there was no way for _____________ to _____________

except up . . . to ___________, the _____________ of ______________

and _____________.

36. When would Egypt know that Yahweh is God? ________________

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37. Are you more likely to turn to God in good times or in bad times?

Does this explain Egypt’s turning to God in their time of defeat? ______

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38. God is so interested in mankind that he: ______________________

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39. To such and ___________ ______________ and ______________

______________, his ______________ ______________ can go

______________ with ______________ ______________ that their

______________ will be ______________ and ______________!

40. Who was more righteous, Pharaoh, Hophra or King Nebuchad-

nezzer? What other reasons could there have been for Egypt’s defeat and

Babylon’s victory? __________________________________________

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A Lament for Egypt - Bible Study Workshopbiblestudyworkshop.com/download/old/ezekiel/Ezekiel...

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